On Verge of Takeover, Newark Rebuts Critical State Analysis

Taking an aggressive stance against efforts by the state of New
Jersey to seize control of their school district, Newark officials last
week released a point-by-point rebuttal of a sharply critical analysis
of the district issued by the state education department in May.

The state's "external review'' led Commissioner of Education Mary
Lee Fitzgerald to order a comprehensive compliance investigation--the
last step in the lengthy process by which the state could take over the
largest district in New Jersey. (See Education Week, May 19, 1993.)

The state review portrayed a district in which politics, safe
employment, and the pursuit of outside funding took precedence over the
education of children.

But Newark's 300-page "discrepancy analysis,'' by contrast, takes
the state's external review to task for vagueness, inaccuracy, and
minimization of district successes.

The district's analysis also asserts that the state signed off over
the years on many of the practices for which the district was
faulted.

Citing criticism of its bilingual program, for example, Newark notes
that the education department had approved the program for the past 21
years.

The analysis paints a picture of an urban district that has
continued to strive to improve its educational program with limited
financial means.

While it disputes the state evaluation team's observations of
didactic teaching methods and lower-order tasks for students, the
district analysis concedes that there may have been some inappropriate
instruction. But it points out that the state team observed only a
fraction of the district's classrooms.

When it does agree, the analysis often indicates that district
officials have already taken steps to comply with a directive or intend
to address the problem.

Incident Shows Rising Tensions

State officials expressed disappointment with the district's action.
"Dr. [Elena] Scambio felt that it was unfortunate that Newark chose to
devote the time and resources to that task rather than cooperate with
the [state] investigation,'' said Elizabeth A. Whittle, a spokeswoman
for Ms. Scambio, the assistant commissioner for urban districts.

The tension between state and district officials escalated last
month when Hilda Hidalgo, an assistant commissioner, was arrested and
removed from an elementary school.

The principal of the school called Newark police when a
confrontation arose between state and local officials over the presence
of journalists.

Police handcuffed Ms. Hidalgo and dragged her out of the building,
Ms. Whittle said. The 65-year-old official, who suffered a hairline
fracture to her wrist, was charged with disorderly conduct and
resisting arrest.

Newark officials blamed the melee on state officials for inviting
the media on the inspection visit.

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